"The most peculiar structure is that of the arms," said deep-sea biologist Bruce Robison of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California. By contrast, the largest known giant squidmeasured about 16 meters (52 feet) long.Īnd whereas giant squid and other cephalopods have eight short arms and two long tentacles, Magnapinna has ten indistinguishable appendages that all appear to be the same length. Enduring Mysteryīased on analysis of videos not unlike the one captured at the Perdido site, scientists know that the adult Magnapinna observed to date range from 5 to 23 feet (1.5 to 7 meters) long, Vecchione said. pacifica-are known to inhabit the Gulf of Mexico, Vecchione said. The subtlety of those variations makes it impossible to identify which species is in the oil-rig video, given that at least two Magnapinna species- M. The Magnapinna species apparently have only slight physical differences, mainly related to tentacle and arm structure in juveniles. "However, it was clearly different from the three known species," Vecchione said. That fourth Magnapinna species remains nameless, because its arms were too badly damaged for a full study. atlantica and a species based on a specimen from the mid-Atlantic. And in 2007 the scientists documented two more: M. In 2006 a single damaged specimen from the North Atlantic led to the naming of a second Magnapinna species, M. (See "'Weird' New Squid Species Discovered in Deep Sea". The study demonstrated that Magnapinna are common worldwide in the permanently dark zone of the ocean below about 4,000 feet (1,219 meters). In 2001 the pair released the first scientific report based on adult Magnapinna specimens, as seen via video. pacifica was so unusual that the scientists had to create a new classification category to accommodate it: the family Magnapinnidae, which currently boasts four species. In 1998 Vecchoine and University of Hawaii biologist Richard Young became the first to document a Magnapinna, based on juveniles of the Magnapinna pacifica species. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who is based at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The Perdido squid may look like a science fiction movie monster, but it's no special effect, according to squid biologist Michael Vecchione of the U.S. Some marine biologists have even formed formal partnerships with oil companies, allowing scientists to share camera time on the corporate ROVs-though critics worry about possible conflicts of interest. The recent video marks the first sighting of a Magnapinna at an oil development, though experts don't think the squid's presence there has any special scientific significance.īut the video is evidence of how, as oil- and gas-industry ROVs dive deeper and stay down longer, they are yielding valuable footage of deep-sea animals. ROVs have filmed Magnapinna squid a dozen or so times in the Gulf and the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. In a few seconds of jerky camerawork, the squid appears with its huge fins waving like elephant ears and its remarkable arms and tentacles trailing from elbow-like appendages.ĭespite the squid's apparent unflappability on camera, Magnapinna, or "big fin," squid remain largely a mystery to science. The video clip shows the screen of the ROV's guidance monitor framed with pulsing inputs of time and positioning data. Located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) off Houston, Texas, Perdido is one of the world's deepest oil and gas developments. "Perdido ROV Visitor, What Is It?" the email's subject line read-Perdido being the name of a Shell-owned drilling site.
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